"You didn't have to go this far..."
"I insisted on covering the cost of your aid. Truly."
"Right, you better accept it. Medicine isn't cheap."
Sinclair had taken a minor wound while rescuing these guys. It was only a scratch compared to his usual bruises, but apparently they didn't see it that way. So where are we now?
"You live pretty well here, Seongcheol?"
"Huh? Really? And I'm not Seongcheol, I'm Ji-hyeon..."
"Sorry, Sangcheol."
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"
We were crashing at the apartment of that Caust boy for the time being.
"You really fight well, you know?"
"Ah... that's because I'm training to be a Resolver candidate... haha..."
"I see... With that skill, even the Association would be interested!"
The Association? What was that—just a bigger office? Some kind of company, like the larger mercenary groups such as Blacksteel?
Hmm? If the Sword Sect doesn't pay off, maybe I should really try becoming a Resolver.
"By the way... why did you become a Magpie and do dangerous work? Was it talent?"
"Why? What the hell is Magpie that everyone only calls me that?"
They'd called me that at the market stall, Moejang told me to pull my cap down over my head, and those thugs earlier had been curious about my head, too.
"You really don't know?"
"No. I'm an orphan. Nobody ever taught me that sort of thing."
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that!"
"It's fine. It's not something you chose or abandoned. Unless you did abandon it and feel guilty, that is."
"...You're a freak."
"They always are. Anyway, I'll apologize on their behalf."
So what. Being an orphan isn't a crime. Abandonment isn't a sin!
"Anyway, what exactly is this Magpie?"
"You know the first two tribes that founded Danguk were the Feline and the Ursus, right?"
"Yeah. I learned it from... well, from that instructor-like guy."
Faust's enthusiasm for teaching looked interesting to him, so he taught me a lot of things. I knew it vaguely anyway—it parallels Korean myth.
"They founded the nation under the red catalpa tree—hence Danguk. Got that?"
"Yeah."
"As the country expanded, various races gradually came over. The first wave was the Liberi—among them, the Magpies."
"Oh? Really? That wasn't in the lesson."
"And since they stayed close to the dynasty for so long, Magpies naturally occupy many high state offices. Right?"
"Wait, hold on—so I might actually be a total silver spoon?"
It turned out that Magpies weren't just a high-ranking class but a race seen as symbols of fortune, a kind of mascot woven into society. So I might literally be born with a silver spoon.
"Fine. Whoever dumped me in that alley, when I find them I'll cut them in half."
At the very least they could have sent me to a shelter instead of dumping me in a back alley. What kind of manners are those?
"That kid... is he okay?"
"Sometimes he's like that. Don't worry. He's weird, sure, but not a bad person."
"Oh. Speaking of which, I almost forgot to say thanks again for the help."
"Now? I'll call it even with the cost of the medicine."
His wound treatment was finished, and the question now was where to find our target...
"Hey, if you're really grateful, let me borrow your TV."
The broadcast looked just like the familiar nine-o'clock news, even though it was broad daylight now.
"Next, in major news: the court announced its intention to launch a full-scale suppression against the residual Sword Sect forces that crossed into the south and plundered the populace—"
"Nope, that's not it..."
The residual Sword Sect forces moving south... that can't be us, right?
"This is outrageous! It's all false charges!"
"Hey you! Watch what you say!"
"False charges? What false charges?"
"You really know nothing. Right now, the court is firmly in the hands of the Right State Councillors—it's totally their world."
"I see... but what does that have to do with false charges?"
"When power was almost usurped, the first thing they did was purge the Sword Sect. They don't want sharp blades at their side."
I see. So we're not bounty hunters... but it still feels off, because they said "suppression," not just expulsion.
"Regardless, I believe the honorable Sword Sect will return!"
Poor Sua is so naive. We're not exactly paragons of virtue.
Of course, as Moejang said, swinging a sword for others might be our fundamental creed, but the sword we swing still points at others. Slaying someone to protect our own—can that really be called justice? Probably not. And given the people above me, like Lee Sang and Faust, who already carry reputations like "the killer"—it's laughable to talk about justice. The Sword Sect forces that headed south have started to cross the line as soon as their livelihoods ran out.
"Swords that have lost their cause—what justice can they uphold..."
"What?! What do you mean by that?"
Ah. I'd spoken too plainly.
"Sua, calm down a bit..."
"That's exactly what I mean. Charges are charges, and from what they're doing now, how are they any different from ruffians?"
Honestly, I don't know. How many like Commander Meursault still strive to preserve the Sword Sect's true nature, and how many are opportunistic sectarians? No matter how pure a drop of water is, once it touches mud it ceases to be pure. Right now, we're just droplets trapped in the mire.
"Y-yeah. You two, please..."
"What do you know! Even with some strength, you're still the same."
Sua's face flushed red, and she dashed outside.
"Hm... I didn't expect her to bolt."
"I heard Sua's family had been part of the Sword Sect up to her grandfather. He died before they were treated like this."
"So that's why she reacted so strongly?"
"Probably... she was proud her grandfather was in the Sword Sect."
That was a slip. I didn't see that coming.
"I never guessed her grandfather was the commander—"
"Huh? Commander?"
"No, I mean... well..."
Beep beep beep—trrring!
"Ji-hyeon, Sua ran out. Did something happen?"
Middle-aged voices, likely her parents.
"Oh? Those shoes are unfamiliar..."
"You're it, Sinclair. I choose you!"
"Whoa! Wait!!... Ah, hello?"
"Greet them properly."
"...Who are you?"
Hm... chemical thieves? The Sword Sect aspirants on the news? Team Rocket? How should we introduce ourselves?
"My goodness, dear! They must be Ji-hyeon's friends!"
"My word, I never thought my son would bring friends home!"
...
"P-please don't look at me like I'm some pitiful creature..."
"...No, that's not it..."
A dork rescuing the Sword Sect. Truly.